Russian ambassador warns there ‘will be consequences’ after Syria strikes

Russia has warned that a series of missile strikes launched against Syria by the US, UK and France ‘will not be left without consequences’. Three waves of overnight Syria strikes destroyed important infrastructure at sites connected with the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons programme.

British Tornado GR4s departed from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and fired Storm Shadow missiles at a military facility near Homs, where the regime is said to have kept chemical weapon precursors. Other sites near Damascus were also targeted in the assault which US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis called a ‘one-time shot’ Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg is among those to have backed the intervention – saying ‘the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, and those responsible must be held accountable’. However the Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said: ‘We are being threatened. We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences.’

Missiles streak across the Damascus skyline as the U.S. launches an attack on Syria

Syria’s main backer, Russia, which has insisted there was no chemical weapons attack in Douma and accused the West of fabricating evidence of it, was not informed of the strikes in advance, according to the US. However, French Defence Minister Florence Parly said the Russians were warned ‘ahead of time’

The Syria strikes were met with limited resistance in the form of Syrian surface-to-air missiles and the country’s state TV said three civilians were wounded near the military base in Homs. There were no reports of any allied losses during the strikes. Announcing the operation, Prime Minister Theresa May said there was ‘no practicable alternative to the use of force’. Mrs May said ‘every possible diplomatic channel’ had been explored before authorising the strikes, adding that it was not a decision she had taken.

Mrs May said ‘every possible diplomatic channel’ had been explored before authorising the strikes, adding that it was not a decision she had taken lightly.

She said: ‘This persistent pattern of behaviour must be stopped – not just to protect innocent people in Syria from the horrific deaths and casualties caused by chemical weapons but also because we cannot allow the erosion of the international norm that prevents the use of these weapons. ‘This is not about intervening in a civil war. It is not about regime change.’ US President Donald Trump said the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons on Douma last Saturday was a ‘significant escalation in a pattern of chemical weapons use by that very terrible regime’.

Giving a statement at the White House, Mr Trump said: ‘This evil and despicable act left mothers and fathers, infants and children thrashing in pain and gasping for air. ‘The combined American, British and French response will integrate all instruments of our national power.’

Mrs May said the action would also send a ‘clear signal’ to anyone else who believed they could use chemical weapons ‘with impunity’. Mrs May authorised the strikes despite demands from opposition parties that Parliament was consulted before any military action was launched. Stewart McDonald, the SNP spokesman for defence, said joining in an allied attack on Syria was ‘not a brave or strong’ decision by Mrs May. He wrote on Twitter: ‘The PM has engaged UK forces in gesture bombing, with no major international consensus and no long term plan to halt the use of chemical weapons or deliver peace.

Syria air defences strike back after air strikes by U.S., British and French forces in Damascus, Syria

Most worrying is that she has acted at the behest of presidential tweets and sidelined Parliament.’ French President Emmanuel Macron said there was no doubt the Syrian regime was responsible for the chemical attack in Douma. He added: ‘The red line set by France in May 2017 has been crossed’.

Related Posts

Filter by

PostPage

FeaturedSportEuropeBusinessBreaking NewsRussiaU.SAsiaMilitaryChinaStyleMiddle East